1. Field of the Invention
The inventions disclosed and taught herein relate generally to vacuum wand and wand extension storage assemblies on a vacuum appliance, and more specifically are related to vacuum extension wand storage assemblies for use with a vacuum appliance so as to allow for storage of one or more vacuum wands or similar vacuum accessories under a vacuum's debris collection drum in a securable and readily detachable manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vacuum appliances capable of picking up both wet and dry material, commonly referred to as wet/dry vacuums or wet/dry vacs, are often used in workshops and other environments where both wet and dry debris can accumulate. Wet/dry vacuum appliances conventionally consist of a collection canister or drum, and a power head fitted to the top of the drum, and within which a motor and impeller assembly is mounted. The motor and impeller assembly creates a suction within the drum, such that solid and/or liquid debris is drawn in to the drum through an air inlet to which a flexible hose can be attached. A filter within the drum prevents incoming debris from escaping from the drum while allowing filtered air to escape. Any liquid drawn into the drum is diffused and accumulates on the bottom of the drum. The drum typically includes a drain opening that is stopped by a plug or threaded cap, so that a user can remove the cap to drain accumulated liquid from the drum. Vacuums may include holders for storing accessories, such as brushes, crevice tools, extension wands, end fitting, etc. In some examples, the holders are permanently secured to the vacuum and cannot be readily removed. In other examples, the holders are portable and detachable members that are independent of the vacuum. Detachable holders are especially desirable, for example, when an operator empties debris from a drum of a wet/dry vacuum.
One of the foremost attributes of vacuum cleaners, particularly wet/dry vacuum cleaners, is the fact that they are both user friendly and versatile. They provide thorough and efficient cleaning of both dry and wet debris, and generally may be easily directed and controlled to clean the work area. In order to add to the versatility of vacuum appliances, such as wet/dry vacuum cleaners, many vacuum appliances are now equipped with various tools and cleaning accessories such as extension hoses, wands, upholstery brushes, squeegee tools, and crevice cleaning tools. These tools and accessories allow the vacuum appliance to be used to complete a variety of special cleaning applications such as the cleaning of furniture and draperies and hard-to-reach areas where the size of the vacuum cleaner would otherwise prevent cleaning due to size and weight concerns.
As indicated above, user convenience considerations require that the tools and accessories, such as the vacuum hose extension wands, be quickly and conveniently available to the vacuum cleaner operator. Accordingly, many vacuum appliances are provided with tool storage compartments that are generally built in to the power head assembly, or in to the caster housings for the wheels of the vacuum. Still others are provided with removable caddies that hold the various tools and cleaning accessories, but with no particular securement means. Such caddies may be mounted and carried on the housing of the upright vacuum cleaner or removed and stored at a remote location as desired by the operator. Many recent versions of such vacuum cleaners have included tool holder accessories mounted to the outer wall of the drum itself. Such tool holders can be provided in a number of forms to enable hoses, nozzles, brushes, and other vacuum cleaner accessories to be stored or mounted thereto when not in use. For example, such tool holders can extend outwardly from the side wall of the collection drum and include a number of outwardly or upwardly extending appendages which are sized to receive each of the tools in a frictional arrangement.
Unfortunately, existing detachable holders for accessories on wet/dry vacuums have some disadvantages. Some existing detachable holders slip fit onto the vacuum and do not positively latch or attach to a feature on the vacuum. With such a slip fit, the detachable holder can work loose and possibly fall off during use or movement of the vacuum. In addition, some existing detachable holders hang on posts or tabs attached to the vacuum. These detachable holders are not fully supported by the posts or tabs and may spill the accessories or catch on stairs when the vacuum is hauled, moved or lifted.
An example of such an accessory tool holder, or caddy as it is sometimes termed, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,794, which describes a utility vacuum cleaner tool caddy for utility vacuum cleaner drums as well as an axle-less wheel mount. The tool caddy has rear and front wheels with integral rear and front bumpers at least partially overlying the rear and front wheels. This provides a wider/larger wheel base/caddy which increases the stability of the utility vacuum cleaner during movement. The rear bumper is also provided with a plurality of spaced openings for receiving a corresponding number of vacuum tools which are stored in an out-of-the-way location when moving or storing the utility vacuum cleaner. Additionally, the wheel support increases the load capacity while improving the overall look and appearance of the base unit or tool caddy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,731 describes an accessory holder for a vacuum cleaner having a base member for supporting a plurality of vacuum accessories. The base member has a pair of arms for attaching the holder to a support structure on the vacuum cleaner. The arms include a tapered wedge projecting from the base member for intermeshing with a tapered channel in the support structure to provide a frictional retaining attachment of the base member to the support structure. The holder further includes a cradle portion extending from the base member for selectively engaging a portion of the vacuum cleaner wand to detachably secure the holder to the wand.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,159,272 provides a holder for storing accessories on a wet/dry vacuum. The holder securely attaches to the vacuum and readily detaches therefrom. The detachable holder may be detached with the accessories. While an operator dumps debris out of the drum of the vacuum, detaching the holder prevents the accessories from being inadvertently spilled out of or discarded from the holder. The detachable accessory holder fully secures to a bracket attached to the vacuum. The secure attachment prevents the holder from falling off or tipping on the vacuum. To attach the holder to the bracket and vacuum, grooves on the holder are set on to an axle of the vacuum. As the holder is pivoted about the axle, tabs and a latch on the holder engage slots and a step on the bracket. To remove the holder, the operator presses on the latch and lifts the holder from the bracket and the appliance.
Other vacuum tool accessory holders use the wheel casters of the vacuum cleaner as the means by which the vacuum tools and accessories are stored when not in use. Examples of this approach include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,564 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,165, which describe caster foot assemblies for use with an appliance such as a wet/dry vacuum. The caster foot assembly include a body, at least one vacuum accessory securing post in the body, and a caster receptacle in the body, wherein the securing post and the caster receptacle vertically overlap within the body to lower the center of gravity of the appliance.
All of these approaches to tool accessory storage, however, can have issues with the storage of the vacuum hose extension wands, which due to their length and rigidity can be cumbersome to secure in an upright manner in a caddy or on a caster, particularly when the user wishes to transport, lift or store the vacuum in a confined space.
The inventions disclosed and taught herein are directed to improved storage assemblies for use with wet/dry vacuum appliances so as to more efficiently store and secure vacuum wand extensions under the vacuum debris collection drum, thereby providing unwanted dislodgment of the wands when they are stored but not in use, and/or to prevent accidental loss of the wands when they are not in use.